Czech Republic
Czech Republic |translate = Česká republika |image1 = Czech republic by lemongodess.png|Czechia Stažený soubor.png|Flag Erb.jpg|Coat of Arms Český lev.jpg|Small Coat of Arms |author = lemong0dess |dates_of_life = October 28, 1918 |capital = Prague |official_language = Czech (National language) |population = 10,649,800 |currency = Koruna (Kč) |friends = Slovakia Germany France United States Poland Austria Spain Italy Hungary European Union NATO |enemies = Russia (neutral) |National sport = Football tennis/Futnet National Handball |National food = Sirloin in cream sauce Beef goulash Sauerkraut Kofola (drink) }} Czech Republic, also known by its short-form name, Czechia, is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. Description Appearance His outfits are random. Mostly, he wears a brown jacket with fur on the hood, or sometimes a blue hoodie. He is sometimes shown with a red bomber jacket with a white fur collar. Occasionally, he is often represented as an aviation pilot like Czechoslovakia. Different from other Countryhumans, he is often depicted with hair. The blue triangle of his flag is sometimes also shown as an eyepatch. Personality Czechia is honest and barely lies. He likes planes and cars, so he often flies or races. He has bad habits like smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol (beer most of the time). He's also very handy and mostly very protective of his friends or his sibling, Slovakia. He's usually shown as either very extroverted or mildly introverted. In some headcanons, he suffers from Anorexia and is allergic to dust, mites and pollen (sometimes he also has strong PTSD). Interests He is known to be interested in flying, car racing, reading magazines about sports or planes and crafting. He also loves his sibling, Slovakia, so they spend a lot of time together. Flag meaning The white color symbolizes cleanliness. The red color symbolizes the blood shed by patriots for the freedom of their homeland, and blue symbolizes a cloudless sky. Others symbols His national animal is a white lion with a crown and a double-tail. The most popular explanation as to why a double-tailed lion is the national animal is the legend "Bruncvík a lev". The motto is "Pravda vítězí" (The truth wins.). The anthem is "Kde domov můj." ''(Where is my home.) Nicknames He has a lot of nicknames, and he hates being called ''Czechia (even though it's technically the official shortened version of the country). He prefers Czech or Czechy. Etymology The Czech language is the only language that has the letter "ř" and "Ř", and places as one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world, especially for non-Slavic countries. For example, Czech and Slovak are almost the same, Polish and Russian are also fairly similar. Czechia has řščjďťň it´s měkké souhlásky (soft consonants) where you put always I next to that letter, and tvrdé souhlásky (hard consonants) h, ch,k,r,d t,n where do you put y next to that letter. History Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the Přemyslid dynasty. In the 10th century Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia conquered Moravia, Silesia and expanded farther to the east. The Duchy of Bohemia, raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198, was from 1002 until 1806 an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire alongside the Kingdom of Germany, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Italy and numerous other territories such as the Old Swiss Confederacy and various Papal States. The kingdom was a significant regional power during the Middle Ages. In 1212, King Přemysl Ottokar I (bearing the title "king" from 1198) extracted the Golden Bull of Sicily (a formal edict) from the emperor, confirming Ottokar and his descendants' royal status; the Duchy of Bohemia was raised to a Kingdom. The bull declared that the King of Bohemia would be exempt from all future obligations to the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in imperial councils. German immigrants settled in the Bohemian periphery in the 13th century. Germans populated towns and mining districts and, in some cases, formed German colonies in the interior of Bohemia. In 1235, the Mongols launched an invasion of Europe. After the Battle of Legnica in Poland, the Mongols carried their raids into Moravia but were defensively defeated at the fortified town of Olomouc. The Mongols subsequently invaded and defeated Hungary. Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia(1230–1253) of the Přemyslid dynasty, Gelnhausen Codex King Přemysl Otakar II earned the nickname Iron and Golden King because of his military power and wealth. He acquired Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, thus spreading the Bohemian territory to the Adriatic Sea. He met his death at the Battle on the Marchfeld in 1278 in a war with his rival, King Rudolph I of Germany. Ottokar's son Wenceslaus II acquired the Polish crown in 1300 for himself and the Hungarian crown for his son. He built a great empire stretching from the Danube river to the Baltic Sea. In 1306, the last king of the Přemyslid line Wenceslaus III was murdered in mysterious circumstances in Olomouc while he was resting. After a series of dynastic wars, the House of Luxembourg gained the Bohemian throne. The 14th century, in particular, the reign of the Bohemian king Charles IV (1316–1378), who in 1346 became King of the Romans and in 1354 both King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, is considered the Golden Age of Czech history. Of particular significance was the founding of Charles University in Praguein 1348, Charles Bridge, Charles Square. Much of Prague Castle and the cathedral of Saint Vitus in Gothic style were completed during his reign. He unified Brandenburg (until 1415), Lusatia (until 1635), and Silesia (until 1742) under the Bohemian crown. The Black Death, which had raged in Europe from 1347 to 1352, decimated the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1380, killing about 10% of the population. The Crown of Bohemiawithin the Holy Roman Empire (1600). The Czech lands were part of the Empire in 1002–1806, and Prague was the imperial seat in 1346–1437 and 1583–1611. Bohemian Reformation started around 1402 by Jan Hus. Although Hus was named a heretic and burnt in Constance in 1415, his followers (led by warlords Jan Žižka and Prokop the Great) seceded from the Catholic Church and in the Hussite Wars (1419–1434) defeated five crusades organized against them by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Petr Chelčický continued with the Hussite movement. During the next two centuries, 90% of the population in Bohemian and Moravian lands were considered Hussites. Hussite George of Podebrady was even a king. Hus's thoughts were a major influence on the later Lutheranism. Martin Luther himself said "we are all Hussites, without having been aware of it" and considered himself as Hus's direct successor. The battle between Protestant Hussitesand Catholic crusaders during the Hussite Wars; Jena Codex, 15th century After 1526 Bohemia came increasingly under Habsburg control as the Habsburgs became first the elected and then in 1627 the hereditary rulers of Bohemia. The Austrian Habsburgs of the 16th century, the founders of the central European Habsburg Monarchy, were buried in Prague. Between 1583–1611 Prague was the official seat of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and his court. The Defenestration of Prague and subsequent revolt against the Habsburgs in 1618 marked the start of the Thirty Years' War, which quickly spread throughout Central Europe. In 1620, the rebellion in Bohemia was crushed at the Battle of White Mountain, and the ties between Bohemia and the Habsburgs' hereditary lands in Austria were strengthened. The leaders of the Bohemian Revolt were executed in 1621. The nobility and the middle-class Protestants had to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country. The following period, from 1620 to the late 18th century, has often been called colloquially the "Dark Age". The population of the Czech lands declined by a third through the expulsion of Czech Protestants as well as due to the war, disease and famine. The Habsburgs prohibited all Christian confessions other than Catholicism. The flowering of Baroque culture shows the ambiguity of this historical period. Ottoman Turks and Tatarsinvaded Moravia in 1663. In 1679–1680 the Czech lands faced the devastating Great Plague of Vienna and an uprising of serfs. The 1618 Defenestration of Praguemarked the beginning of the Bohemian Revoltagainst the Habsburgsand therefore the first phase of the Thirty Years' War. The reigns of Maria Theresa of Austria and her son Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and co-regent from 1765, were characterized by enlightened absolutism. In 1740, most of Silesia (except the southernmost area) was seized by King Frederick II of Prussia in the Silesian Wars. In 1757 the Prussians invaded Bohemia and after the Battle of Prague (1757) occupied the city. More than one-quarter of Prague was destroyed and St. Vitus Cathedral also suffered heavy damage. Frederick was defeated soon after at the Battle of Kolín and had to leave Prague and retreat from Bohemia. In 1770 and 1771 Great Famine killed about one-tenth of the Czech population, or 250,000 inhabitants, and radicalized the countryside leading to peasant uprisings. Serfdom was abolished (in two steps) between 1781 and 1848. Several large battles of the Napoleonic Wars – Battle of Austerlitz, Battle of Kulm – took place on the current territory of the Czech Republic. Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, born to a noble Czech family, was a field marshal and chief of the general staff of the Austrian Empire army during these wars. The end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 led to degradation of the political status of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Bohemia lost its position of an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire as well as its political representation in the Imperial Diet. Bohemian lands became part of the Austrian Empire and later of Austria–Hungary. During the 18th and 19th century the Czech National Revival began its rise, with the purpose to revive Czech language, culture and national identity. The Revolution of 1848 in Prague, striving for liberal reforms and autonomy of the Bohemian Crown within the Austrian Empire, was suppressed. Ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the National Theatreduring the Czech National Revival, 1868 In 1866 Austria was defeated by Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War (see also Battle of Königgrätzand Peace of Prague). The Austrian Empire needed to redefine itself to maintain unity in the face of nationalism. At first it seemed that some concessions would be made also to Bohemia, but in the end, the Emperor Franz Joseph I affected a compromise with Hungary only. The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the never realized coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Bohemia led to a huge disappointment of Czech politicians. The Bohemian Crown lands became part of the so-called Cisleithania (officially "The Kingdoms and Lands represented in the Imperial Council"). Prague pacifist Bertha von Suttner was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. In the same year, the Czech Social Democratic and progressive politicians (including Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk) started the fight for universal suffrage. The first elections under universal male suffrage were held in 1907. The last King of Bohemia was Charles I of Austria who ruled in 1916–1918. Czechoslovakia An estimated 1.4 million Czech soldiers fought in World War I, of whom some 150,000 died. Although the majority of Czech soldiers fought for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, more than 90,000 Czech volunteers formed the Czechoslovak Legions in France, Italy and Russia, where they fought against the Central Powers and later against Bolshevik troops. In 1918, during the collapse of the Habsburg Empire at the end of World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia, which joined the winning Allied powers, was created, with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in the lead. This new country incorporated the Bohemian Crown (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) and parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia and the Carpathian Ruthenia) with significant German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian speaking minorities. Czechoslovakia concluded a treaty of alliance with Romania and Yugoslavia (the so-called Little Entente) and particularly with France. The First Czechoslovak Republic comprised only 27% of the population of the former Austria-Hungary, but nearly 80% of the industry, which enabled it to successfully compete with Western industrial states. In 1929 compared to 1913, the gross domestic product increased by 52% and industrial production by 41%. In 1938 Czechoslovakia held a 10th place in the world industrial production. Although the First Czechoslovak Republic was a unitary state, it provided what were at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities and remained the only democracy in this part of Europe in the interwar period. The effects of the Great Depressionincluding high unemployment and massive propaganda from Nazi Germany, however, resulted in discontent and strong support among ethnic Germans for a break from Czechoslovakia. The First Czechoslovak Republiccomprised only 27% of the population of the former Austria-Hungary, but nearly 80% of the industry. Adolf Hitler took advantage of this opportunity and using Konrad Henlein's separatist Sudeten German Party, gained the largely German-speaking Sudetenland (and its substantial Maginot Line-like border fortifications) through the 1938 Munich Agreement(signed by Nazi Germany, France, Britain, and Italy). Czechoslovakia was not invited to the conference, and Czechs and Slovaks call the Munich Agreement the Munich Betrayalbecause France (which had an alliance with Czechoslovakia) and Britain gave up Czechoslovakia instead of facing Hitler, which later proved inevitable. Despite the mobilization of 1.2 million-strong Czechoslovak army and the Franco-Czech military alliance, Poland annexed the Zaolzie area around Český Těšín; Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and the Subcarpathian Rus as a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938. The remainders of Slovakia and the Subcarpathian Rus gained greater autonomy, with the state renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia". After Nazi Germany threatened to annex part of Slovakia, allowing the remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary and Poland, Slovakia chose to maintain its national and territorial integrity, seceding from Czecho-Slovakia in March 1939, and allying itself, as demanded by Germany, with Hitler's coalition. The remaining Czech territory was occupied by Germany, which transformed it into the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and the president and prime minister were subordinated to Nazi Germany's Reichsprotektor. Subcarpathian Rus declared independence as the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 but was invaded by Hungary the same day and formally annexed the next day. Approximately 345,000 Czechoslovak citizens, including 277,000 Jews, were killed or executed while hundreds of thousands of others were sent to prisons and Nazi concentration camps or used as forced labor. Up to two-thirds of the citizens were in groups targeted by the Nazis for deportation or death. One concentration camp was located within the Czech territory at Terezín, north of Prague. The Nazi Generalplan Ost called for the extermination, expulsion, Germanization or enslavement of most or all Czechs to provide more living space for the German people. There was Czech resistance to Nazi occupation, both at home and abroad, most notably with the assassination of Nazi German leader Reinhard Heydrich by Czechoslovakian soldiers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš in a Prague suburb on 27 May 1942. On 9 June 1942 Hitler ordered bloody reprisals against the Czechs as a response to the Czech anti-Nazi resistance. The Edvard Beneš's Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its army fought against the Germans and were acknowledged by the Allies; Czech/Czechoslovak troops fought from the very beginning of the war in Poland, France, the UK, North Africa, the Middle East and the Soviet Union (see I Czechoslovakian Corps). The German occupation ended on 9 May 1945, with the arrival of the Soviet and American armies and the Prague uprising. An estimated 140,000 Soviet soldiers died in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule. Following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia and formation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia within Nazi Germany, exiled Czechs fought alongside Allies of World War II, such as No. 310 Squadron RAF. In 1945–1946, almost the entire German-speaking minority in Czechoslovakia, about 3 million people, were expelled to Germany and Austria (see also Beneš decrees). During this time, thousands of Germans were held in prisons and detention camps or used as forced labor. In the summer of 1945, there were several massacres, such as the Postoloprty massacre. Research by a joint German and Czech commission of historians in 1995 found that the death toll of the expulsions was at least 15,000 persons and that it could range up to a maximum of 30,000 dead. The only Germans not expelled were some 250,000 who had been active in the resistance against the Nazi Germans or were considered economically important, though many of these emigrated later. Following a Soviet-organized referendum, the Subcarpathian Rus never returned under Czechoslovak rule but became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, as the Zakarpattia Oblast in 1946. Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, with a general disillusionment with the West, because of the pre-war Munich Agreement, and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union, because of the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule. In the 1946 elections, the Communists gained 38% of the votes and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front and moved quickly to consolidate power. A significant change came in 1948 with coup d'état by the Communist Party. The Communist People's Militias secured control of key locations in Prague, and a single-party government was formed. The Prague Springpolitical liberalization of the communist regime was stopped by the 1968 Soviet-led invasion. For the next 41 years, Czechoslovakia was a Communist state within the Eastern Bloc. This period is characterized by lagging behind the West in almost every aspect of social and economic development. The country's GDP per capita fell from the level of neighboring Austria below that of Greece or Portugal in the 1980s. The Communist government completely nationalized the means of production and established a command economy. The economy grew rapidly during the 1950s but slowed down in the 1960s and 1970s and stagnated in the 1980s. The political climate was highly repressive during the 1950s, including numerous show trials (the most famous victims: Milada Horáková and Rudolf Slánský) and hundreds of thousands of political prisoners, but became more open and tolerant in the late 1960s, culminating in Alexander Dubček's leadership in the 1968 Prague Spring, which tried to create "socialism with a human face" and perhaps even introduce political pluralism. This was forcibly ended by invasion by all Warsaw Pact member countries with the exception of Romania and Albania on 21 August 1968. Student Jan Palach became a symbol of resistance to the occupation when he committed self-immolation as a political protest. The invasion was followed by a harsh program of "Normalization" in the late 1960s and the 1970s. Until 1989, the political establishment relied on censorship of the opposition. Dissidents published Charter 77 in 1977, and the first of a new wave of protests were seen in 1988. Between 1948 and 1989 about 250,000 Czechs and Slovaks were sent to prison for political reasons, and over 400,000 emigrated. Organizations and Affiliations Politics Geography Czech Republic is the 115th biggest country in the world (78,866 km2 ) and the water area is around 2%. The highest point is Sněžka (1,603 metres). The Czech Republic has no access to any sea or ocean. Through the northern of Czech Republic flows river Elbe (in Czech "Labe") and also flows the longest river in Czechia Vltava (430,2 km). Relationships Family * Belarus — cousin * Bosnia and Herzegovina — cousin * Bulgaria — cousin * Croatia — cousin * Slovakia — twin brother/sister * Montenegro — cousin * North Macedonia — cousin * Poland — brother/sister * Russia — cousin * Serbia — cousin * Slovenia — cousin * Ukraine — cousin * Austria — wife (depends on the person) * Lithuania — sister-in-law * Hungary — brother-in-law Friends * United States — friend * Finland — good friend * France — friend * Italy — good friend * Spain — good friend * Japan — good friend * Germany — friend Neutral * England * Russia Enemies * Third Reich — go away * USSR Past versions * Czechoslovakia Opinions Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary and the Czech Republic were close. They loved each other like father and son. But after Austria-Hungary's wife (unknown) died, he started drinking and abusing his children. He barely notices them, only when they do something bad or they don't listen to him. He stopped making them meals and didn't buy the clothes or anything that they needed. They decided to run away from him and hoped, he'll never find them. After a long time of escaping, they were found by the EU and adopted. Slovakia Slovakia and he are twin brothers. They are mostly seen as siblings. They were best friends from the beginning, and they ran away together and never split up. Russia and other Slavic countries They are all his Slavic brothers and sisters, but not literal siblings. Closest to the Czech Republic are Russia and Slovakia (though, Slovakia is Czechia's actual sibling). European Union European Union found and adopted Czechia and others and gave them land to happily welcome them. After he heard what Austria-Hungary did to them, the European Union dissolved him and happily gave the adopted countries freedom and land. United States They appear to be good friends after the USA defeated Third Reich with USSR. They're also depicted as neutral. United Kingdom They are friends, even after the UK gave the Czech Republic to Third Reich. Altough a few headcannos state that he still hasn't forgiven UK. France They are good friends. They have a lot in common and always have everything to talk about. Poland They're Slavic "brothers". Germany They're mostly shown as friends or very good friends and drinking buddies, because of them both being beer nations. Japan Czechia has feelings for Japan, but he doesn't plan to confess them. This is probably because of his sister, Slovakia. He loves his sibling and doesn't want to stab her in the back by leaving their relationship behind for another country. References * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic ru:Чехия Category:Slavic countries Category:Country Category:Europe Category:Catholic Countries Category:Christian Countries Category:Everything Category:EU members Category:NATO members Category:Republics Category:Secular Countries Category:Atheist Countries Category:Characters Category:Central Europe Category:Eastern Europe Category:Visegrád Members Category:UN Members